Rathole (“money down the rathole”)
To throw or to pour something "down a/the rathole" means to put it in an endless space (where lots of rats enter and leave). "Money down a/the rathole" is money wasted, not to…
Raw Dog Oxygen (breathing without a face mask)
"Raw dog" usually means sexual intercourse without a condom. The 2020 COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic resulted in requirements to wear face masks, and "raw dog oxygen" (or…
Razzleberry Pie
"Razzleberry pie" was trademarked by Marie Callender's restaurants, with a "first use" date of 1998. Marie Callender's razzleberry pie is made with raspberries and…
Re-Re-Elect (third term election)
A politician is sometimes "elected" to a first term in office, "re-elected" to a second term, and "re-re-elected" to a third time. New York City's two-term mayor…
Read-In
A "read-in" (or "read in") protest takes its inspiration from the 1960s civil rights "sit-in" protests. "Read-ins" are usually held to protest cuts in a…
Readathon
A "readathon" (reading + marathon) is when there is a long session of reading; there may be many readers and there may be just one book (such as the Bible, a novel, a dictionary or…
Realize It Can Happen (“rich” backronym)
"Realize It Can Happen" is sometimes given as a backronym (back acronym) for the word "rich." "Keep driving toward your dreams and live that #RICH (Realize It Can Happen)…
Realville (a town in the real world)
"Realville" isn't any actual city or town, but it's an expression for a place that exists "in the real world" and has real world problems. Politicians and economists…
Rears, Sawbuck & Co. (Sears, Roebuck and Company nickname)
The department store chain Sears, Roebuck and Company, founded in 1893, has had several nicknames. "Rears, Sawbuck & Co." was printed in the Jamestown (ND) Weekly Alert on May 11,…
Rears, Sobuck & Co. (Sears, Roebuck and Company nickname)
The department store chain Sears, Roebuck and Company, founded in 1893, has had several nicknames. "Rears, Sawbuck & Co." was printed in the Jamestown (ND) Weekly Alert on May 11,…
Reasonoid (Reason Magazine reader nickname)
The libertarian Reason monthly magazine started a "Hit & Run" blog in 2002. Reason readers have been called "Reasonoids" since at least 2004. The nickname…
Rebalancing Day (Rebal Day)
A "rebalancing day" (or "rebalance day" or "rebal day") might occur on the last day of trading in a quarter, such as March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31…
Recession Special (reduced-price food)
Gray's Papaya began in 1973 at Broadway and West 72nd Street, offering hot dogs and papaya juice just like the older Papaya King. In the late 1980s or early 1990s, Gray's began offering a…
Recessipe (recession recipe)
The economic recession of 2008-2009 caused many people to choose simpler, less expensive meals. The word "recessipe" (recession recipe) was popularized in February and March 2009. A blog…
Recon Chip (chip used to take a broken chip out of the dip)
Chips (such as potato chips or tortilla chips) often break in a dip. "#iHate when the chip break in the dip and you send in the recon chip, and it break too!" was posted on Twitter by…
Rectum Rocket (White Castle hamburger nickname)
White Castle's hamburgers have been unofficially called "rectum rockets" since at least 1986 because of what the hamburgers supposedly do to the human digestive system. Other…
Red Apple Supermarket (supermarket chain, 1971-present)
There have been both "Big Apple" and "Red Apple" supermarkets. Sam Alterman opened the "Big Apple" supermarket in 1939 at 794 Marietta Street, N.W., in Atlanta,…
Red Beans and Rice
"Red beans and rice" is an important Creole dish in New Orleans, Louisiana. The term "red beans and rice" was cited in print in The Daily Picayune (New Orleans, LA) on June 13,…
Red Cent
To have "not one red cent" is to have absolutely no money. The U.S. penny (or "cent") from 1793-1857 was made of reddish copper; the phrase "not worth a copper" was…
Red Diamond (goji berry nickname)
Goji berries (also called wolfberries) have long been popular in China, but were almost unknown in the United States before 2002. The commercially promoted health qualities of goji juice helped to…